More than a year has elapsed since the passing of our great leader and teacher Chairman Mao Tsetung. He is no longer with us, but he has bequeathed us a very rich and precious legacy. Invincible Mao Tsetung Thought will always illuminate the road of our struggle as we continue the revolution.
In his life as a great revolutionary, Chairman Mao inherited, defended and developed Marxism-Leninism both in theory and in practice. His contributions to the Chinese revolution and the world revolution are immortal.
Under Chairman Mao’s leadership the Chinese people triumphed in the revolution against imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat-capitalism, founded the socialist People’s Republic of China and brought about a radical change in the situation in the East and throughout the world. In guiding the Chinese revolution through its various stages, he correctly solved such fundamental problems as the seizure of state power through waging armed struggle to encircle the cities from the countryside, the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat through winning nation-wide victory in the new-democratic revolution and the switch over to the socialist revolution, and the development of socialism and the prevention of capitalist restoration through continuing the revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat. In a new period and under new circumstances, he accumulated and summed up a rich store of experience in revolution and construction and greatly developed Marxist-Leninist theory. This is a valuable asset not only to the Chinese people but also to the international proletariat and revolutionary people of the world.
Consistently upholding proletarian internationalism, Chairman Mao formulated China’s line, principles and policies in foreign affairs and guided their implementation. He taught us to strengthen our unity with the socialist countries and with the proletariat and oppressed people and nations throughout the world and firmly support the revolutionary struggles of the people of all countries; he taught us to follow the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence in developing relations with all countries, to persist-in combating the imperialist and social-imperialist policies of aggression and war and superpower hegemonism, to fight any manifestation of great-nation chauvinism in our relations with other countries and never to seek hegemony. Over a long period of time, Comrade Chou En-lai, his close comrade-in-arms, implemented his revolutionary line in foreign affairs with firmness and great distinction. We Chinese people will follow our respected and beloved Premier Chou’s example and will always faithfully carry out these behests of Chairman Mao’s.
By integrating the universal truth of Marxism-Leninism with the concrete practice of the world revolution, Chairman Mao scientifically analysed the international situation in different periods and drew illuminating conclusions, thus greatly promoting the revolutionary cause of the proletariat and the liberation of the oppressed nations all over the world.
With the boldness and vision of a proletarian revolutionary, Chairman Mao initiated a momentous struggle in the international communist movement to repudiate modern revisionism with the Soviet revisionist renegade clique as its centre, and rallied the international proletariat to push on under the militant banner of Marxism-Leninism.
Chairman Mao put forward the theory of the differentiation of the three worlds at a time when the two superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States, became locked in a cut-throat struggle for world hegemony and were actively preparing for a new war. This theory provides the international proletariat, the socialist countries and the oppressed nations with a powerful ideological weapon for forging unity and building the broadest united front against the two hegemonist powers and their war policies and for pushing the world revolution forward.
Chairman Mao was the greatest Marxist of our time. Like Lenin, he was the great teacher of the international proletariat and the oppressed people and nations. He has made an inestimable contribution to the progress of mankind.
In this article we propose to explain at some length his theory of the three worlds and its far-reaching significance for the revolutionary struggle of the people of all countries.